Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $1.88 Million Stock Holdings in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 13.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,560 shares of the technology company’s stock after buying an additional 999 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $1,882,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 1,054.5% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 127 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth $29,000. Avondale Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Avondale Wealth Management now owns 156 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of International Business Machines by 134.3% during the fourth quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IBM. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on International Business Machines from $233.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on International Business Machines from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on International Business Machines in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on International Business Machines from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $231.44.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

International Business Machines stock opened at $262.85 on Wednesday. International Business Machines Co. has a 12-month low of $162.62 and a 12-month high of $265.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $232.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $220.14. The stock has a market cap of $243.04 billion, a PE ratio of 41.01, a P/E/G ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.76.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $3.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. International Business Machines had a return on equity of 38.99% and a net margin of 9.60%. As a group, analysts expect that International Business Machines Co. will post 10.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 10th. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.21%.

International Business Machines Company Profile

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.